Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain

Boston, MA

Relocating their global headquarters from 745 Atlantic Avenue to One Federal Street in Boston, Iron Mountain retained MPA to design their new global headquarters to cater to their new Mobile Workforce initiative as well as to increase collaboration, productivity, and wellness. The design spans two large floorplates, reduces the number of private offices, and keeps perimeter windows open so that all have access to natural light. All offices and conference spaces are located either on the interior or oriented perpendicular to the windows, maximizing natural light and views to the entire office. Lower-paneled workstations are arranged in neighborhoods, encouraging collaboration while avoiding the feel of a large open field of people. Conference space has vastly increased. A key design choice was to cluster conference room around oval “nodes”, creating informal break-out spaces separated from work areas. Four-person “huddle rooms” and two-person “nooks” were also created to allow space for smaller, informal collaboration or private conversations that would not tie up larger conference rooms.

One of the benefits of moving from a nine-floor office to a two-floor office is the higher frequency of chance encounters with people in different departments. A dramatic, open staircase was designed connecting the reception area with a café and training center directly below, helping to further enhance opportunities for collaboration.